Sunbathers take heed: skin damage continues hours after exposure

February 19, 2015 7:03 PM

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Here's a warning to sunbathers everywhere. Scientists have found that the skin damage caused by UV rays does not stop once you get out of the sun.

Researchers said on Thursday much of the potentially cancer-causing damage wrought by ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning beds occurs up to three to four hours after exposure thanks to chemical changes involving the pigment melanin.